Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT) offers help for patients suffering from dyspnoea, asthma, COPD, bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, emphysema, heart disease, neuromuscular disease, Parkinson’s disease and spinal injury.

The POWERbreathe Medic inspiratory muscle training (IMT) device has been approved for prescription in the UK.

Inspiratory Muscle Weakness & IMT

Weakness of the inspiratory muscles can result from a number of causes, including disease. In the case of inspiratory muscles, weakness is a major contributor to the perception of dyspnoea.^1,2

The inspiratory muscles exhibit the well documented ‘use it or lose it’ phenomenon and become detrained (atrophy) in the absence of physical activity. This leads to a downward spiral of inactivity and dyspnoea that is observed in many chronic conditions, as well as in the elderly.

In addition, the use of oral steroid medication (not inhaled steroids) to control lung inflammation in conditions such as asthma and emphysema has been shown to cause weakness of the inspiratory muscles. This weakness can impair lung function and can be counteracted by inspiratory muscle training. (N.B. inhaled steroids do not cause inspiratory muscle weakness.)

The good news is that the inspiratory muscles can be trained, yielding:

• Improvements in inspiratory muscle strength, power and endurance^3,4
• Structural and biomechanical adaptations^5,6

More importantly, inspiratory muscle training (IMT) reduces dyspnoea during exercise and daily activities, as well as improving exercise tolerance and quality of life, particularly in patients with COPD.^4,6-12

POWERbreathe Medic inspiratory muscle training can be implemented as either a standalone intervention, or as part of a rehabilitation programme.

Research:

Links to research papers, published in peer-reviewed, high quality scientific journals. As well as original studies, we have also included some articles that review IMT; these have been written by experts in this field of research.

• ¹ Sense of effort and dyspnoea. - K J Killlian. Monaldi Arch Chest Dis. 1998;53(6):654-660.
• ² Inspiratory muscle training in obstructive lung disease; how to implement and what to expect. - Breathe. 2005;2(1):38-49.
• ³ Specificity and reversibility of inspiratory muscle training.
• ⁴ Effects of controlled inspiratory muscle training in patients with COPD: a meta-analysis.
• ⁵ Effect of high-intensity inspiratory muscle training on lung volumes, diaphragm thickness, and exercise capacity in subjects who are healthy.
• ⁶ Inspiratory muscle training in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: structural adaptation and physiologic outcomes.
• ⁷ The Effects of 1 Year of Specific Inspiratory Muscle Training in Patients With COPD.
• ⁸ Effect of inspiratory muscle training on muscle strength and quality of life in patients with chronic airflow limitation: a randomized controlled trial.
• ⁹ Inspiratory muscle training in patients with COPD: effect on dyspnea, exercise performance, and quality of life.
• ¹⁰ High-intensity inspiratory muscle training in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and severely reduced function.
• ¹¹ Inspiratory muscle training in chronic airflow limitation: effect on exercise performance.
• ¹² The cumulative effect of long-acting bronchodilators, exercise, and inspiratory muscle training on the perception of dyspnea in patients with advanced COPD.